How Visitors Pay Italian Autostrada Tolls (2026)
Most visitors pay Italian motorway tolls at the exit barrier with a card or cash. Telepass is optional: it is the electronic tag used in dedicated yellow T lanes. Italian Tolls estimates supported routes; it does not sell Telepass devices or process toll payments.
Fees, eligibility, and promotions change. Confirm current Telepass and concessionaire terms on the official sites linked below before you buy or rent a device.
Pay at the barrier with a card or cash
On a closed-system autostrada you take a ticket at entry and pay when you leave. Autostrade per l’Italia and Telepass both describe cash, debit cards, credit cards, and electronic tolling as the usual options, as long as you choose a lane that matches the method.
Slow down before the plaza and read the signs. On the Autostrade per l’Italia network, yellow T lanes are for electronic devices, blue lanes are for cards, and white lanes are for cash. Other concessionaires can differ. Never reverse at a toll plaza; use the assistance button if payment fails.
Telepass Grab&Go for occasional or non-resident drivers
Telepass Grab&Go is the pay-per-use offer Telepass publishes for people who do not want a traditional monthly subscription. Official Grab&Go terms (checked August 2026) allow non-residents to join with a credit card on Visa, Mastercard, Maestro, American Express, or CB, with more than 30 days until expiry. Residents can also use a SEPA-area bank account.
You buy the device, activate it in the Telepass app (NFC), and pay a daily charge only on days you use motorway tolls or other included Telepass services. As listed on telepass.com in August 2026: €1 per day for toll use and €1 per day for other services, capped at €2 per day and €10 per month; a promotional activation fee of €14.90 ran until 30 September 2026. Telepass also stated that Grab&Go cannot yet be billed to a debit card, and that the device is for private two-axle passenger vehicles and motorcycles of at least 150 cc.
Italian Tolls does not sell Grab&Go devices. Buy only from Telepass or a seller Telepass lists, and read the current contract on telepass.com.
Telepass Pay is not the tourist default
Telepass Pay X is a resident payment bundle that Telepass publishes with a BNL account, prepaid card, and an existing Telepass Family contract. It is not the product to assume at an airport rental desk. If you already have a Telepass contract at home, use that provider’s instructions; otherwise prefer barrier payment or Grab&Go.
Rental-car Telepass
Some rental companies fit an electronic toll device and add their own daily or administration fees on top of the motorway toll. Those rental mark-ups are not Telepass list prices and are not published here.
At pickup, ask whether a device is installed, whether it is active, which lanes you must use, and how unpaid or free-flow stretches are billed. Read the contract. Keep receipts. If a later charge appears, follow the rental company’s and the concessionaire’s documented process.
- A device in the windscreen is not automatically included or cheap.
- Do not use a yellow T lane unless the rental device is active and assigned to that car.
- On stretches without a booth (free-flow), follow the operator’s payment instructions if the car is not enrolled.
Viacard in 2026
Autostrade per l’Italia has discontinued prepaid Viacard sales. Cards already purchased may be used until the credit runs out, no later than 31 December 2029. Residual credit can be refunded under ASPI’s published rules until 31 December 2038. A new trip should not rely on buying a Viacard.
Airport routes after you pick up a car
Estimate the autostrada stretch from the rental desk. Malpensa and Fiumicino have dedicated airport hubs; Bergamo is linked when the city hub is in the published set.
Visitor Telepass FAQs
Do tourists need Telepass to drive in Italy?
No. Telepass is optional on conventional plazas. Most visitors pay with a credit or debit card or cash in the matching lane. Telepass is useful if you want dedicated electronic lanes or your rental already includes an active device.
Can I pay Italian tolls with a foreign credit card?
Often yes, if you choose a card lane and the circuit shown on the sign matches your card. Telepass states that visitors can usually pay by card when they pick the correct lane. Carry a backup method; not every issuer is accepted at every machine.
What is Telepass Grab&Go for visitors?
Grab&Go is Telepass’s pay-per-use device: buy it, activate it in the app, and pay a daily service charge only on days you use tolls or other included services, plus the motorway tolls themselves. Non-residents can join with an eligible credit card. Confirm current fees and the activation promo on telepass.com. Italian Tolls does not sell the device.
Should I take the rental company’s Telepass?
Only after you read the rental contract. Rental Telepass add-ons can cost more than paying at the barrier on a short trip. Ask if the device is active, what daily or administration fees apply, and how missed or free-flow tolls are billed.
Is Viacard still a way to pay?
New prepaid Viacards are no longer sold. Existing cards remain usable until the credit is spent, no later than 31 December 2029, according to Autostrade per l’Italia. Do not plan a visit around buying a new Viacard.